Bingo! The call goes out and everyone turns their attention to the winner. The sound of paper tearing fills the bingo hall as runners go to the floor to sell sheets for the next game. Have you ever played bingo?

Bingo players are the Good Samaritans of today. Their desire to hear the caller say their number benefits the families in our community through charitable gaming in Mississippi. The bingo staff strives to make sure everything and everyone works for a good time at Plaza Bingo seven nights a week and twice on Fridays. Players make the local hall one of the largest bingo halls in Mississippi and the proceeds benefit the Good Samaritan Center.

The Good Samaritan Center is a non-profit organization assisting families in emergency situations. Family illness can make someone miss a few days of work or having to repair a car can destroy the family budget. Living from payday to payday is a reality families face and saving for a rainy day is just not an option. Paying a light bill for one month or giving a family food for the week can ease the strain. Emergencies happen and the Good Samaritan Center staff helps families come out of the situation and move forward.

The consistency of the bingo players at Plaza Bingo makes the Good Samaritan Center a success. They spend their money to buy bingo sheets, computers and also put their dollars into the machines. The sound of the cha-ching is like the silver coins the Samaritan paid the innkeeper to feed and care for a stranger. To some families these coins mean having electricity to heat a cold home on a winter’s night or cooking a meal. Other families may be able to buy medicine. Fire victims and women staying at the domestic abuse shelter can visit the clothes closet. Hot meals are served every day at the Soup Kitchen for anyone that’s hungry. Meals are delivered to the elderly and disabled around town. Bingo players afford all these families the opportunity to reach the helping hands of the Good Samaritan Center staff.

“What kind of help do you need?” starts the process. “Have you ever been here before?” The follow up question, “Do you have your social security cards?” Two filing cabinets full of paperwork are then searched through for previous visits. Over 10 years of records allow the caseworker to make informed decisions about each case. Relationships with other agencies enable the local non-profit to verify that every dollar they spend makes a difference in each situation. Staff would love to fill every request, but handouts do not empower a family.

Not only do Plaza Bingo players finance the operation in Laurel and Jackson, they support special community events and participate in drives. Canned food, dry food, paper products and personal care items fill the bingo hall every other month. The school supply drive at the beginning of every school year sends pencils, pens and paper to the students around Jones County. At Christmas, they fill the wish list for the children in the caseload and the homebound on the meal route. At Easter, staff members hide eggs and play games with the children on Good Friday. Donations and dollars from bingo make it all possible.

Bingo players and staff members of the Good Samaritan Center are in the business of helping families make it through tough times. Seeing a ray of hope on the horizon is sometimes the best motivation for a family to pick up the pieces and move forward. The Good Samaritan Center staff takes the needy hand of a stranger and places it into the helping hands of the bingo player. Helping hands, not a hand out makes for a life built on self-sufficiency, not dependency.

“Bingo has been called,” the caller says. “Hold your sheets.” He waits for the number on the card to be called out. “We have a good bingo!”

Take a chance, have some fun, check out the new colors and try out the new snack bar. There are sandwiches, chips, salads, cold drinks and hot coffee during every bingo session. Plaza Bingo is right off 16th Avenue in the Parkside Plaza shopping center with CVS and Roses.

For more information, call the hot line at 601-425-1795 or check out the website at playplazabingo.com.